World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk |
- Brazil president Dilma Rousseff set to be impeached in senate vote
- Tokyo Olympics: €1.3m payment to secret account raises questions over 2020 Games
- Air pollution rising at an 'alarming rate' in world's cities
- Car bomb attacks in Baghdad kill at least 90
- MH370: two new aircraft fragments 'almost certainly' from missing aircraft
- Kenya says it will shut world's biggest refugee camp at Dadaab
- French minister urges UK to stamp out tax secrecy in its territories
- George Zimmerman to auction gun he used to kill Trayvon Martin
- Great Barrier Reef: devastating images tell story of coral colonies' destruction
- Judge criticizes Pentagon suppression of thousands of Bush-era torture photos
- Unprecedented 'red tide' crisis deepens in Chile's fishing-rich waters
- Germany to quash historical convictions of gay men
- Italian investigators cannot unlock iPhone of alleged Bari terror ring suspect
- Michael Ratner, attorney for WikiLeaks and Julian Assange, dies at 72
- 28% of US bees wiped out this winter, suggesting bigger environmental issues
- Raccoon's power station caper cuts electricity to 40,000 Seattle homes
- Hiroshima survivors welcome Barack Obama visit
- Periscope used by French teenager to live-stream her own suicide
- Reeling it in: global sustainable seafood market hits $11.5bn
- Italian MPs support introduction of same-sex civil unions
- 'An inane jumble': Trump foreign policy splits GOP on issue party once agreed on
- French minister admits 'inappropriate' conduct towards journalist
- Queen caught on camera saying Chinese officials were 'very rude'
- First climbers reach Everest summit after two years of disasters
- Bangladesh protesters clash with police after Islamist leader hanged
- Turkey dismisses UN alarm at alleged rights abuses in Kurdish region
- New Zealand could be left with just one major newspaper group as merger talks revealed
- Dilma Rousseff impeachment: majority of senate say they will vote to suspend president - live
- What are the top 10 most secretive tax havens? – video
- Visions of heaven and hell: life on the fringes of the world's biggest cities
- The forgotten mountains: a journey into the heart of rebel-held Darfur – in pictures
- Dadaab closure: how 600,000 refugees got caught up in Kenya’s electioneering
- Azerbaijan worst place to be gay in Europe, finds LGBTI index
- Georgia plans national matchmaking service as marriage rate falls
- In from the cold: Iran x Cuba – review
- An insider's guide to Kampala: where a Rolex is something you eat
- A grand but faulty vision for Iran's water problems
- Lenin Lab: the team keeping the first Soviet leader embalmed
- Three activists demanding an end to offshore secrecy answer your questions
- Zimbabwe to print local ‘US dollar’ to ease severe cash crunch
- Reality stars and xenophobes: Trump's California delegates mirror their maker
- London sinkhole partially swallows car
- Donald Trump's refusal to release tax returns 'disqualifying' says Mitt Romney
- Protesters occupy immigration department building in Melbourne
- Fleet Street 'gossip': Chinese paper plays down Queen's attack on 'rude' officials
- Couple whose three children died in MH17 crash welcome new baby Violet
- US hails 'important step' as missile defences go live in Romania
- Criminalising abortion does not cut number of terminations, says study
- Veteran drug lord still trafficking after prison release, US Treasury says
- Buhari agrees Nigeria is corrupt, but how is he tackling it?
- Venezuelan protesters clash with soldiers over Maduro referendum
- Growing anger at global corruption | Letters
- Rwandan president says public is forcing him to run for third term
- Jian Ghomeshi apologizes to former colleague as part of deal to drop charge
- Dilma Rousseff: the Brazilian president facing impeachment – video profile
- Nigerian president: 'What would I do with a Cameron apology?' – video
- Eyewitness: North Korea
- Truth about Palestinian sibling deaths at Israeli checkpoint is elusive
- Vladimir Putin takes a tumble during ice hockey game – video
- Baghdad car bombing kills dozens – video report
- UK's 'golden era' with China in balance after Queen comments
- Your #3000chairs for child refugees – in pictures
- One small step for Amman: could a viral video shake up Jordan's stifled capital?
- Story of cities #40: how a village had to die so Hamburg's port could survive
- The great leap upward: China's Pearl River Delta, then and now
- Story of cities #39: Shenzhen – from rural village to the world's largest megalopolis
- Story of cities #38: Vancouver dumps its freeway plan for a more beautiful future
- Story of cities #37: how radical ideas turned Curitiba into Brazil's 'green capital'
- No vacancies: life in Mozambique's abandoned Grande Hotel – in pictures
- Story of cities #36: how Copenhagen rejected 1960s modernist 'utopia'
- Banning alcohol to protect girls? India is missing the mark | Pauline Oosterhoff
- Finish line far out of sight in Nigeria's race to beat corruption | Oluseun Onigbinde
- Baby and toddlers among 149 dead at Nigerian military prison, says Amnesty
- Homeless at home: most displaced people found in Syria, Yemen and Iraq
- Can innovation help fix the world's overwhelmed humanitarian system? | Clár Ní Chonghaile
- Don't just condemn humanitarian law violations. Stop them | Stephen Twigg
- Britain must stand up to defend humanitarian law, say MPs
- 'How can I get help if I can’t leave the room?': older people left out in a crisis
- Boko Haram using loans to recruit members in face of crackdown
- 'People are tired of 70 years of killings and violence': Colombia's peace process
- Latest Sanders and Trump victories change little in primary race
- West Virginia and Nebraska primaries: five things we learned
- Enola Gay is a museum piece, unlike the nuclear arms Obama hoped to eradicate
- Afghan and Nigerian leaderships well aware of corruption problems
- Quiet crisis: why battle to prop up Italy's banks is vital to EU stability
- Nascent peace deal at risk amid Philippines' political uncertainty
- Seven days, three speeches: one week in the life of having a black president
- Police beat driver after a high-speed pursuit through two US states – video
- Paul Ryan: Republican party cannot pretend to be unified – video
- Bernie Sanders: 'we are in this to win the nomination' – video
| Brazil president Dilma Rousseff set to be impeached in senate vote Posted: 12 May 2016 12:18 AM PDT Majority of senators say they will vote to strip Rousseff of presidential duties in country's first impeachment in 24 years Less than halfway through her elected mandate, Dilma Rousseff appears set to be stripped of her presidential duties for at least six months after a majority of senators said they would vote to impeach her and put her on trial. After what one politician called the "saddest night for Brazil's young democracy", 41 of the 81 senators declared in a late-running impeachment debate that they would vote to suspend the Workers' party leader, putting economic problems, political paralysis and alleged fiscal irregularities ahead of the 54 million votes that put her in office. |
| Tokyo Olympics: €1.3m payment to secret account raises questions over 2020 Games Posted: 11 May 2016 07:58 AM PDT • Alleged payment believed to be under scrutiny by French police A seven-figure payment from the Tokyo Olympic bid team to an account linked to the son of the disgraced former world athletics chief Lamine Diack was apparently made during Japan's successful race to host the 2020 Games, the Guardian has learned. The alleged payment of about €1.3m (£1m), now believed to be under French police scrutiny, will increase pressure on the International Olympic Committee to investigate properly links between Diack's regime and the contest to host its flagship event. It also raises serious questions over Tokyo's winning bid, awarded in 2013. Continue reading... |
| Air pollution rising at an 'alarming rate' in world's cities Posted: 11 May 2016 08:01 PM PDT Outdoor pollution has risen 8% in five years with fast-growing cities in the developing world worst affected, WHO data shows
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| Car bomb attacks in Baghdad kill at least 90 Posted: 11 May 2016 09:30 AM PDT Islamic State claims responsibility for largest blast, in Sadr City, as two other Shia neighbourhoods also targeted A string of car bomb attacks across Baghdad has killed at least 90 people, making it the Iraqi capital's deadliest day this year. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the largest blast, at a marketplace in the Shia neighbourhood of Sadr City, which killed at least 63 people. Continue reading... |
| MH370: two new aircraft fragments 'almost certainly' from missing aircraft Posted: 12 May 2016 12:08 AM PDT Australian announcement about pieces found in South Africa and Mauritius means a total of five pieces of debris have now been confirmed from missing jet Two aircraft fragments found on the beaches of South Africa and Mauritius are all but confirmed to be from missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which mysteriously disappeared two years ago with 239 people on board. A piece of engine cowling featuring a Rolls-Royce stencil, which was found in South Africa earlier this year, is "almost certainly" from the Boeing 777 that went missing more than two years ago with 239 people on board, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said on Thursday. Continue reading... |
| Kenya says it will shut world's biggest refugee camp at Dadaab Posted: 11 May 2016 11:24 AM PDT Government vows to close camp, home to 330,000 mostly Somali refugees, and send them back home or on to other countries Kenya has vowed to close the world's biggest refugee camp within a year and send hundreds of thousands of Somalis back to their war-torn homeland or on to other countries, a plan decried by aid and human rights groups as dangerous, illegal and impractical. Kenya says it needs to close the sprawling Dadaab camp, home to 330,000 mostly Somali refugees, to protect the country's security after a string of terror attacks by al-Shabaab. Continue reading... |
| French minister urges UK to stamp out tax secrecy in its territories Posted: 11 May 2016 10:38 AM PDT Michel Sapin, France's finance minister, warns tax evasion in developing and 'very, very developed' nations causes huge losses The French finance minister, Michel Sapin, has urged Britain to go "right to the end" in stamping out tax secrecy it its overseas territories and crown dependencies that continue to act as tax havens for the wealthy. Sapin, speaking to the Guardian before arriving in London for David Cameron's anti-corruption conference on Thursday, said he felt Britain had "decided sincerely to end a certain number of situations" characterised by the status of UK overseas territories and dependencies such as the British Virgin Islands. Continue reading... |
| George Zimmerman to auction gun he used to kill Trayvon Martin Posted: 11 May 2016 11:42 PM PDT Former neighbourhood watch volunteer who was acquitted of murdering unarmed teenager touts firearm as a 'piece of American history' George Zimmerman has listed the gun with which he killed Trayvon Martin in 2012 for auction, touting it as "your opportunity to own a piece of American history". The former neighbourhood watch volunteer was acquitted two years ago in the death of the young unarmed African American, but the case sparked protests and a national debate about race relations. Continue reading... |
| Great Barrier Reef: devastating images tell story of coral colonies' destruction Posted: 11 May 2016 03:02 PM PDT Exclusive: a series of images taken from around Lizard Island reveal the rapid death of coral across thousands of kilometres of the reef as bleaching takes hold Devastating images showing the complete destruction of coral colonies on the Great Barrier Reef have been obtained by Guardian Australia and illustrate what is happening to coral there that would fill an area the size of Scotland. They reveal the rapid death of coral impacting much of the Great Barrier Reef, with estimates that as much as half of the coral in the northern third of the 2000km reef had this fate. Continue reading... |
| Judge criticizes Pentagon suppression of thousands of Bush-era torture photos Posted: 11 May 2016 01:12 PM PDT Alvin Hellerstein, who presided over 12-year lawsuit to disclose military images of detainee abuse, may force further release of photographs in 'near future' A federal judge has sharply rebuked the Pentagon for the process by which it concealed hundreds of Bush-era photos showing US military personnel torturing detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan, suggesting Barack Obama may have to release even more graphic imagery of abuse. Alvin Hellerstein, the senior judge who has presided over a transparency lawsuit for the photos that has lasted more than 12 years, expressed dissatisfaction over the Pentagon's compliance with an order he issued last year requiring a case-by-case ruling that release of an estimated 1,800 photographs would endanger US troops. Continue reading... |
| Unprecedented 'red tide' crisis deepens in Chile's fishing-rich waters Posted: 11 May 2016 02:50 PM PDT The 'red tide' algal bloom, which turns the sea water red and makes seafood toxic, is believed to be one of the country's worst recent environmental crises A "red tide" outbreak is widening in southern Chile's fishing-rich waters, the government has said, deepening what is already believed to be one of the country's worst environmental crises in recent years. The red tide – an algal bloom that turns the seawater red and makes seafood toxic – is a common, naturally recurring phenomenon in southern Chile, but the extent of the current outbreak is unprecedented. Continue reading... |
| Germany to quash historical convictions of gay men Posted: 11 May 2016 09:08 AM PDT Government plans to annul convictions of tens of thousands of men who were criminalised under 19th-century law Germany is to annul the convictions of tens of thousands of gay men who were criminalised under a 19th-century law. More than 50,000 men were convicted and sentenced to sometimes lengthy jail terms between 1946 and 1969 under the infamous Paragraph 175, which deemed homosexuality to be a punishable crime. Continue reading... |
| Italian investigators cannot unlock iPhone of alleged Bari terror ring suspect Posted: 11 May 2016 12:07 PM PDT Officials face setback similar to that of FBI after San Bernardino shooting, as other suspects' phones showed alleged evidence of 'inspections' of various sites Italian investigators have been unable to unlock the Apple iPhone 6 plus of a suspect involved in an alleged terror ring in Bari, in a development that mirrored a similar setback faced by US law enforcement officials following the San Bernadino attack. The development raises the prospects of another standoff between Apple and officials involved in a terror investigation, after the California technology company staunchly refused to cooperate with US investigators seeking to pull information from the phone that belonged to San Bernadino gunman Syed Farook. Continue reading... |
| Michael Ratner, attorney for WikiLeaks and Julian Assange, dies at 72 Posted: 11 May 2016 03:46 PM PDT Civil and human rights lawyer also helped start group representing Guantánamo Bay detainees pro-bono, considered 'largest mass defense effort in US history' Michael Ratner, the civil and human rights attorney who represented Julian Assange and WikiLeaks in the US, died Wednesday at age 72, leaving behind an outsized legacy of advocacy for whistleblowers and US government detainees. "As an attorney, writer, speaker, educator, activist ... Michael Ratner's passion was not just for the law but for the struggle for justice and peace," said the Center for Constitutional Rights, a not-for-profit legal advocacy organization where Ratner worked to bring cases for 45 years. "Michael dedicated his life to the most important fights for justice of the last half century." Continue reading... |
| 28% of US bees wiped out this winter, suggesting bigger environmental issues Posted: 11 May 2016 11:59 AM PDT More than half of beekeepers suffered unsustainable losses, with deadly mite infestations and harmful land management practices piling on pressure More than a quarter of American honeybee colonies were wiped out over the winter, with deadly infestations of mites and harmful land management practices heaping mounting pressure upon the crucial pollinators and the businesses that keep them. Preliminary figures commissioned by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) show that 28% of bee colonies in the United States were lost over the 2015-16 winter. More than half of surveyed beekeepers said they suffered unsustainable losses during the winter. Continue reading... |
| Raccoon's power station caper cuts electricity to 40,000 Seattle homes Posted: 11 May 2016 10:59 AM PDT Masked bandit pays the ultimate price after breaking into Washington state substation, bringing down electric grid in a dozen suburbs Nearly 40,000 homes were without power on Wednesday morning after a raccoon broke into a substation in Seattle, Washington, and single-pawedly brought down the electric grid in a dozen suburbs. The creature caused 13 separate system outages during its brief but energetic visit. Continue reading... |
| Hiroshima survivors welcome Barack Obama visit Posted: 11 May 2016 06:14 AM PDT Obama to become first sitting US president to pay respects at atomic bomb city amid reports Shinzo Abe may visit Pearl Harbor Survivors of the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima have welcomed Barack Obama's upcoming visit to the city, while media reports claimed Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, was considering a reciprocal trip to Pearl Harbor. The White House said Obama, who will become the first sitting US president to visit Hiroshima, will pay his respects to the 140,000 people who died after the US dropped an atomic bomb on the morning of 6 August 1945. He will not, however, offer an apology. Continue reading... |
| Periscope used by French teenager to live-stream her own suicide Posted: 11 May 2016 08:34 AM PDT Prosecutors launch inquiry after 19-year-old uses Twitter's service to film herself jumping in front of train in Paris French prosecutors have launched an investigation after a 19-year-old woman killed herself by jumping in front of a suburban train in Paris and streamed the act live on Periscope. The unnamed French woman "sent a text to one of her friends several minutes before her death to make them aware of her intentions", said the prosecutor Eric Lallement on Wednesday. Continue reading... |
| Reeling it in: global sustainable seafood market hits $11.5bn Posted: 11 May 2016 01:11 PM PDT A new report shows that demand for seafood with sustainable certification now accounts for 14% of the global market – up from less than 1% a decade ago The global sustainable seafood market hit $11.5bn in retail sales last year, a result of commitments by large restaurant chains and retailers such as Walmart, Whole Foods, Ikea and McDonald's to source certified seafood and address decades of mismanagement, according to a report released today. Related: Off the hook: can a new study in the Pacific reel in unsustainable fishing? Continue reading... |
| Italian MPs support introduction of same-sex civil unions Posted: 11 May 2016 07:50 AM PDT Politicians vote 369-193 in favour of vote of confidence in government over heavily disputed bill, heralding its final approval Italy's parliament has backed the introduction of same-sex civil unions in a long-awaited decision that has been hailed as a civil rights landmark. Before the approval by MPs on Wednesday, Italy had been the last major western country not to legally recognise same-sex relationships. However, the legislation was criticised for not providing full equality for gay couples, particularly in terms of adoption rights. Continue reading... |
| 'An inane jumble': Trump foreign policy splits GOP on issue party once agreed on Posted: 11 May 2016 03:30 AM PDT Sources believe defense spending reveals the extreme tension between Trump and the traditional Republican national security establishment A chasm between the Republican party's national-security wing and its likely presidential nominee Donald Trump has been exposed as politicians on Capitol Hill wrestle with the annual US defense budget. The Senate armed services committee is due on Wednesday to start considering the annual national defense authorization act (NDAA), which was passed with bipartisan support by counterparts in the House in late April. Continue reading... |
| French minister admits 'inappropriate' conduct towards journalist Posted: 11 May 2016 02:31 AM PDT Michel Sapin says behaviour should not be confused with harassment amid sexism claims in French politics The French finance minister, Michel Sapin, has admitted to behaving inappropriately towards a female journalist, days after allegations of harassment forced the resignation of the vice-president of the lower house of parliament. Sapin apologised for his behaviour while insisting that the incident, which has become known as "knickergate", should not be "confused with the seriousness of harassment or sexual assault". Continue reading... |
| Queen caught on camera saying Chinese officials were 'very rude' Posted: 11 May 2016 01:53 AM PDT Chinese foreign ministry spokesman refuses to say whether 'golden era' still goes on after Queen's criticism of Beijing officials The "golden era" of UK-China relations appears to have lost some of its glitter after the Queen accused Chinese officials of being "very rude" to the British ambassador during President Xi Jinping's first state visit to Britain last year. During a garden party at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, a pool cameraman working on behalf of British broadcasters filmed her discussing Xi's trip with Metropolitan police commander Lucy D'Orsi. Continue reading... |
| First climbers reach Everest summit after two years of disasters Posted: 11 May 2016 11:48 PM PDT Group of nine Nepalese Sherpa guides reached peak of world's highest mountain on Wednesday, officials say Mountaineering officials say nine Nepalese guides have reached the peak of Mount Everest, becoming the first climbers in two years to conquer the world's highest mountain following two years of disasters. Gyanendra Shrestha, of the Nepal mountaineering department, said the group reached the 8,850-metre (29,035-ft) summit on Wednesday. Continue reading... |
| Bangladesh protesters clash with police after Islamist leader hanged Posted: 11 May 2016 10:08 AM PDT Police say Jamaat supporters attacked them with stones in northwestern city of Rajshahi Bangladesh police have fired rubber bullets at protesters, after the execution of a top Islamist leader heightened tensions in a country reeling from the murders of several secular and liberal activists. The violence came as police charged Khaleda Zia, leader of the main Bangladesh opposition, with masterminding arson attacks during anti-government protests last year – the latest in a string of charges she claims are politically motivated. Continue reading... |
| Turkey dismisses UN alarm at alleged rights abuses in Kurdish region Posted: 11 May 2016 03:39 AM PDT Foreign ministry refutes claim after UN expressed concern at lack of response to requests to conduct research in area The Turkish foreign ministry has dismissed a UN statement raising alarm over violence against civilians and alleged human rights abuses in predominantly Kurdish south-east Turkey and said it was welcome to visit the region. The UN high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, had on Tuesday expressed concern over the Turkish government's refusal to allow a UN team to conduct research in the area amid reports that more than a hundred people had burned to death in buildings surrounded by security forces. Continue reading... |
| New Zealand could be left with just one major newspaper group as merger talks revealed Posted: 10 May 2016 08:56 PM PDT Companies that own New Zealand Herald and Dominion Post could join forces, effectively leaving the country with a press monopoly Two major media companies in New Zealand have announced they are in merger talks, raising the prospect that the entire country could be left with just one newspaper group. NZME, which owns the New Zealand Herald, and Fairfax Media, which owns the Dominion Post, said in a joint statement on Wednesday that the organisations were exploring how they could join forces. Continue reading... |
| Dilma Rousseff impeachment: majority of senate say they will vote to suspend president - live Posted: 12 May 2016 12:47 AM PDT
Latest tally of how senators have declared they will vote:
Senator Humberto Costa, of Rousseff's Workers' party, speaks now. He says the impeachment is a means for those defeated in the 2014 general election to get their hands on power, usurping the votes of regular Brazilians. Continue reading... |
| What are the top 10 most secretive tax havens? – video Posted: 11 May 2016 11:43 PM PDT A world-class tax haven needs several key ingredients: a highly secretive banking system; a stable government that is happy to look the other way; and of course ultra-low taxes. So as David Cameron gathers world leaders for a major anti-corruption summit in London, we look at the top 10 most secretive tax havens Continue reading... |
| Visions of heaven and hell: life on the fringes of the world's biggest cities Posted: 11 May 2016 11:30 PM PDT Over eight years, photojournalist Adam Hinton spent time in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, Jakarta, Manila, Cape Town and Caracas, meeting residents who deal every day with poverty and prejudice Continue reading... |
| The forgotten mountains: a journey into the heart of rebel-held Darfur – in pictures Posted: 11 May 2016 05:11 AM PDT Award-winning photographer Adriane Ohanesian is one of the few outsiders who have gained access to the remote territories still tangled in civil war. In a new series, she documents the ongoing conflict Continue reading... |
| Dadaab closure: how 600,000 refugees got caught up in Kenya’s electioneering Posted: 11 May 2016 02:34 AM PDT Plan to close the world's largest camp is illogical and illegal – but scores much-needed political points, argues the Daily Maverick The Kenyan government has announced that it will attempt to close all of the country's refugee camps, a move that could displace an estimated 600,000 vulnerable people. However, it's no coincidence that just a week before the statement the Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta officially began campaigning ahead of elections scheduled for next year. Continue reading... |
| Azerbaijan worst place to be gay in Europe, finds LGBTI index Posted: 10 May 2016 06:46 AM PDT Frequent homophobic hate crimes see country join Russia and Armenia at the bottom of leading human rights survey Azerbaijan has been ranked the worst place in Europe to live as an LGBTI citizen, after meeting only 5% of a leading rights organisation's criteria for legal equality. The ILGA-Europe Rainbow Index, released today, ranks 49 European countries according to the laws, policies and practices that affect LGBTI communities. Continue reading... |
| Georgia plans national matchmaking service as marriage rate falls Posted: 10 May 2016 01:31 AM PDT National database of singletons proposed to help pull country away from 'demographic catastrophe'. Eurasianet.org reports A nationwide headcount of eligible bachelors and bachelorettes has been announced in Georgia, apparently in a bid to help tackle the slowing birth rate. Georgia's non-profit Demographic Development Fund (DDF) believes that a drop in the rate of marriages and births has brought the small post-Soviet nation to the cusp of a "demographic catastrophe". Continue reading... |
| In from the cold: Iran x Cuba – review Posted: 09 May 2016 09:37 PM PDT Playful seriousness abounds in this exhibition at New York's Rogue Space gallery Holy Cow. The title of Allahyar Najafi's painting captures the playful seriousness that abounds in IRAN X CUBA: Beyond the Headline. The show features work by 19 artists from two countries whose revolutions denied them the tender affections of a certain global hegemon for decades on end; now, as if love might actually trump hate in time, they have come together at New York's Rogue Space gallery. In Najafi's piece, the titular bovine, sacred not only in Hinduism – the artist resided in India for several years – but in Iran's own Zoroastrianism, weeps amid an array of other hallowed beasts. Through the ether swim a pod of Caspian seals, seemingly a personal totem for the artist, who now lives in Rasht, not far from the sea (one takes center stage in Pusa Caspica, after the animal's Latin name). From a crook in the cow's form stares a bald eagle, once-secular American iconography now as sanctified as the almighty dollar. Continue reading... |
| An insider's guide to Kampala: where a Rolex is something you eat Posted: 09 May 2016 07:53 AM PDT From lakeside spots to eat fish to a female comedian making herself heard on YouTube, Rosebell Kagumire shows us beneath the surface of Uganda's capital Smile. Talk. Drink. Dance. Repeat. Continue reading... |
| A grand but faulty vision for Iran's water problems Posted: 09 May 2016 02:36 AM PDT Massive water transfer schemes are no solution to Iran's growing problems with drought A grand vision of eliminating water scarcity looks attractive for tens of millions of people in the desert cities of central Iran worried about drought. Ambitious water transfer projects are being put in place to answer a call from President Hassan Rouhani. Two high-profile projects would see desalinised water transferred to the central plateau from the Caspian Sea, and from the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman. Continue reading... |
| Lenin Lab: the team keeping the first Soviet leader embalmed Posted: 09 May 2016 12:19 AM PDT As the Kremlin releases preservation costs for the first time, The Moscow Times looks back on this unlikely 90-year experiment He lies in a glass sarcophagus, his reddish moustache trimmed and his hands resting on his thighs. Dressed in an austere black suit, Vladimir Lenin, the first Soviet leader, looks at first to be a waxwork. Yet this is in fact the preserved body of a man who died 92 years ago. If carefully monitored and re-embalmed regularly, scientists believe he can last in this state for centuries more. Continue reading... |
| Three activists demanding an end to offshore secrecy answer your questions Posted: 06 May 2016 05:36 AM PDT Ahead of the London anti-corruption summit, three activists answered your questions about what should follow the Panama Papers revelations
Hi all, I'm afraid that's all we have time for. Thanks for all of your questions and thanks to the panel for the extensive, thoughtful answers. Related: Cameron to propose global anti-corruption agency at summit Related: What are the Panama Papers? A guide to history's biggest data leak
Why haven't the Panama Papers been made public? Mauricio asks: Why the Panama Papers are not public? And why did only a few selected journalists have access to them? Ala'a: The ICIJ – the body that has the Panama Papers is being extremely cautious about the publication of any personal information, probably for legal reasons. I personally feel a sense of urgency about publishing the documents and believe there should be greater access. Having said that, the ICIJ has given access to a far greater number of journalists than the past so lets give them some time. Oliver: I think you have to be very careful in exposing information like this to a wide audience, since there could be all sorts of unintended consequences. These leaks contain so much data that it's very hard to be sure that the information being put out there isn't going to harm someone. Speaking as a journalist, I would hate to think I had accidentally put an innocent person in harm's way by irresponsibly spreading information, so I would always err on the side of caution. I think the journalists controlling these troves probably feel the same way. Continue reading... |
| Zimbabwe to print local ‘US dollar’ to ease severe cash crunch Posted: 06 May 2016 05:02 AM PDT Currency shortage prompts national reserve to introduce new notes, currently in the 'design stage' Zimbabweans are forming long queues outside banks amid a cash shortage that has prompted the government to announce plans to print a local version of the US dollar and to limit withdrawals. The government adopted US and South African currencies in 2009 after hyperinflation rendered the national currency unusable as the economy collapsed. Continue reading... |
| Reality stars and xenophobes: Trump's California delegates mirror their maker Posted: 11 May 2016 03:53 PM PDT Presumptive Republican nominee's delegation from the Golden State is surely among the most colorful cast of characters to grace a national convention It's not every day that billionaire PayPal founder Peter Thiel ends up on a list with a white nationalist. But toss in a bounty hunter, a Tea Party couple from Wife Swap, a border vigilante and a University of California Berkeley undergraduate and you have the makings of Donald Trump's California delegation to the Republican national convention. Meet some of the cast of colorful characters who will travel to Cleveland this July to formally anoint Donald Trump as the presidential candidate of the Republican party. Continue reading... |
| London sinkhole partially swallows car Posted: 12 May 2016 12:22 AM PDT Police cordon off area after car which had been parked outside a church in Woodland Terrace, Greenwich, fell into hole A car has fallen into a sinkhole in a residential street in London. The Metropolitan police were called to Woodland Terrace in Greenwich at 3.23am on Thursday. Continue reading... |
| Donald Trump's refusal to release tax returns 'disqualifying' says Mitt Romney Posted: 12 May 2016 12:46 AM PDT The former Republican presidential nominee said the only 'logical explanation' for Trump's refusal to disclose his returns is that they hold 'a bombshell' Donald Trump's refusal to release his tax returns is "disqualifying" for a presidential candidate, his predecessor as Republican nominee Mitt Romney has said. "There is only one logical explanation for Mr Trump's refusal to release his returns: there is a bombshell in them," Romney wrote. "Given Mr Trump's equanimity with other flaws in his history, we can only assume it's a bombshell of unusual size." Continue reading... |
| Protesters occupy immigration department building in Melbourne Posted: 12 May 2016 12:45 AM PDT Group calling for improved treatment of asylum seekers refuse police instructions to vacate the building on Lonsdale Street More than 100 refugee advocates and protesters have taken over the federal immigration department building in Melbourne, chanting "Bring them here" and "We can be better than this". The protesters were refusing police instructions to leave the building in Lonsdale Street on Thursday afternoon, and had taken over the department's second floor space, the foyer and stairwells, as well as gathering in front of the building. Continue reading... |
| Fleet Street 'gossip': Chinese paper plays down Queen's attack on 'rude' officials Posted: 11 May 2016 09:50 PM PDT Communist party newspaper says complaint by monarch of officials' rudeness were 'hyped up' by British media The Communist party's best-selling tabloid has accused the British media of "hyping up" the Queen's comments about "rude" Chinese officials and spreading malicious "gossip" in order to hurt ties between Beijing and London. Beijing would not confirm whether its "golden" friendship with Britain was still alive on Wednesday after the Queen was caught on camera lamenting the behaviour of Chinese officials involved in President Xi Jinping's state visit to Britain in 2015. Continue reading... |
| Couple whose three children died in MH17 crash welcome new baby Violet Posted: 11 May 2016 06:59 PM PDT 'We will continue to love all four of our children equally,' say Australians Anthony Maslin and Marite Norris. 'Violet brings some hope and joy for us' A Western Australian couple who lost their three children when Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine have welcomed the arrival of a baby daughter. MH17 was brought down by a missile as it flew over eastern Ukraine on its way to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam in July 2014, killing all 298 people on board. Twenty-seven Australians were among the victims, among them Mo, Otis and Evie Maslin and their grandfather Nick Norris of Perth. Continue reading... |
| US hails 'important step' as missile defences go live in Romania Posted: 11 May 2016 06:49 PM PDT Assistant secretary of state says ballistic missile shield is not aimed at undermining Russia's strategic nuclear deterrent A US missile defence system in Romania becomes operational on Thursday in a move welcomed by US officials as an "important step" but also one likely to infuriate Moscow. Related: Nato and US defence chiefs issue security warnings over Brexit Continue reading... |
| Criminalising abortion does not cut number of terminations, says study Posted: 11 May 2016 03:30 PM PDT One in four pregnancies are terminated, with rates falling in developed countries but staying steady in developing nations One in four pregnancies ends in abortion worldwide - about 56m a year - according to new global data which shows that criminalising abortion does not make it any less frequent. New figures from the US-based Guttmacher Institute and the World Health Organisation (WHO) show the abortion rate in developed countries has declined significantly over the past couple of decades but has remained steady in developing countries, reflecting an unmet need for contraception. Continue reading... |
| Veteran drug lord still trafficking after prison release, US Treasury says Posted: 11 May 2016 01:52 PM PDT
Veteran drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero has continued to traffic illegal drugs since being released from a Mexican prison, the US Treasury has said, naminghis common-law wife as a key accomplice. Caro Quintero, convicted of ordering the torture and murder of a US anti-drugs agent in Mexico in 1985, was freed from prison in August 2013 in a move that angered the US government. Less than a week later, a Mexican judge issued a warrant for his arrest, but he had already gone underground. |
| Buhari agrees Nigeria is corrupt, but how is he tackling it? Posted: 11 May 2016 12:32 PM PDT The tenacious president was elected with a vow to fight misconduct, but there are questions over how he is dealing with it When asked if he agreed with David Cameron's assertion that Nigeria was "fantastically corrupt", the west African country's tall, austere president thought for a moment and then said softly: "Yes." Muhammadu Buhari came to office on a promise to fight Nigeria's legendary corruption, and he is admired and feared for his tenacity. Continue reading... |
| Venezuelan protesters clash with soldiers over Maduro referendum Posted: 11 May 2016 11:29 AM PDT Opposition supporters confronted with teargas and riot police during march to pressure authorities to remove unpopular president: 'We want this man out' Venezuelan soldiers have fired teargas at stone-throwing protesters as the country's opposition marched to pressure electoral authorities into allowing a recall referendum against President Nicolás Maduro. The Democratic Unity coalition has ramped up its push to oust Maduro amid a worsening economic crisis, but says the government-leaning electoral body is intentionally delaying the verification of signatures in favour of the referendum. Continue reading... |
| Growing anger at global corruption | Letters Posted: 11 May 2016 11:06 AM PDT David Cameron hosts the UK Anti-Corruption Summit on Thursday, which will be attended, in his words, by some of the world's most "fantastically corrupt countries" (Report, 11 May). The prime minister might consider adding Britain to his list. The UK heads the world's biggest financial secrecy network. It has sovereignty in over a third of all tax havens worldwide and over half of the companies named in the Panama Papers scandal used a single UK tax haven, the British Virgin Islands. A World Bank analysis of corruption cases worldwide found that British havens dominate. His attempt to persuade the overseas territories and crown dependencies to open up their registries to the overstretched HMRC and UK law enforcement is neither transparent nor a sufficient deterrent. The aid given to bolster developing nations' tax takes is nothing when compared with the untaxed corporate profits that haemorrhage out of poor countries' economies offshore into UK jurisdictions. More than 300 economists have written to Cameron arguing that tax havens have no economic benefit and that Britain's "deliberate choice" to operate them "fuels corruption". By refusing to implement the deterrent of making registers of beneficial ownership of UK tax havens public, Mr Cameron ensures that Britain continues to facilitate international tax avoidance, corruption and crime. Continue reading... |
| Rwandan president says public is forcing him to run for third term Posted: 11 May 2016 10:49 AM PDT Paul Kagame claims not to want to continue in office and that he had little say in last year's constitutional changes The Rwandan president, Paul Kagame, has said that he did not want a third term in office but had to bow to entreaties from his people, who were not ready to say goodbye to the architect of the nation's recovery from the 1994 genocide. Speaking at the World Economic Forum on Africa in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, the president said he was aware that changing the constitution to allow him to run again would draw international criticism but had little say in the matter. Continue reading... |
| Jian Ghomeshi apologizes to former colleague as part of deal to drop charge Posted: 11 May 2016 10:00 AM PDT The Canadian former radio host said 'I crossed boundaries inappropriately' in an incident in which he repeatedly thrust his hip into a woman's backside After 18 months of pointed silence, one of Canada's most familiar voices resonated loudly in a Toronto courtroom on Wednesday when former broadcaster Jian Ghomeshi expressed "deep regret" for workplace behaviour that resulted in a charge of sexual assault. The apology saved the once-idolized broadcaster from a second criminal trial and put an end to legal proceedings over a string of sexual assault allegations. His sensational trial on a previous set of charges ended in March with a blanket acquittal that outraged activists and survivors of sexual violence. Continue reading... |
| Dilma Rousseff: the Brazilian president facing impeachment – video profile Posted: 11 May 2016 07:06 AM PDT Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff is facing an impeachment vote in the senate. As the South American country suffers its deepest recession since the 1930s, her government faces a corruption scandal – particularly sensitive, since Brazil will soon be under an international spotlight with the Olympic Games in Rio Continue reading... |
| Nigerian president: 'What would I do with a Cameron apology?' – video Posted: 11 May 2016 05:57 AM PDT Nigerian president Muhammdu Buhari responds to David Cameron's comments that Nigeria was 'fantastically corrupt'. President Buhari says he would not be demanding an apology from the British prime minister, instead he would be asking for the return of Nigeria's assets, which were taken by the British empire Continue reading... |
| Posted: 11 May 2016 05:24 AM PDT Photographs from the Eyewitness series Continue reading... |
| Truth about Palestinian sibling deaths at Israeli checkpoint is elusive Posted: 11 May 2016 04:32 AM PDT Almost all details surrounding last month's fatal shooting of Maram Saleh Abu Ismael and her brother Ibrahim Taha are disputed The death last month of Maram Saleh Abu Ismael, a young Palestinian mother, and her teenage brother, Ibrahim Taha, was violent, public and confounding. The Israeli account is that the pair were armed with knives, one of which Abu Ismael threw at an Israeli soldier as they approached the traffic lane of the main Qalandia checkpoint from Ramallah to Jerusalem. Warning shots were fired before she and her brother were shot dead by private security contractors. Continue reading... |
| Vladimir Putin takes a tumble during ice hockey game – video Posted: 11 May 2016 04:20 AM PDT Russian president Vladimir Putin loses his balance and falls during an ice hockey game at Sochi on Tuesday. On a team with businessmen and former professional players, the president slips as he tries to take the puck from his opponent. Putin is a keen ice hockey player – he's taken part in many annual exhibitions (and is usually crowned the winner) Continue reading... |
| Baghdad car bombing kills dozens – video report Posted: 11 May 2016 04:08 AM PDT Residents of Baghdad surround the area of a car-bombing in the city on Wednesday. The attack, in Sadr City, in the north-east of Baghdad, is alleged to have been a suicide bombing. The blast killed and injured dozens of people in the Shia district of the Iraqi capital. Isis says it carried out the attack Continue reading... |
| UK's 'golden era' with China in balance after Queen comments Posted: 11 May 2016 03:10 AM PDT Monarch heard accusing Chinese officials of being rude to ambassador in connection with President Xi's state visit last year China has refused to say whether a "golden era" of relations with Britain still exists, after the Queen was caught on camera accusing Beijing officials of being rude. In a discussion with a senior Metropolitan police officer, the Queen was heard accusing unnamed Chinese representatives of being "very rude" to the British ambassador in connection with President Xi Jinping's first state visit to Britain last year. Continue reading... |
| Your #3000chairs for child refugees – in pictures Posted: 11 May 2016 02:00 AM PDT Nicola Davis's poem The Day The War Came and subsequent Twitter campaign resonated with readers concerned about the UK government's attitude to taking in 3,000 unaccompanied Syrian children. Here is a selection of the empty chairs you've made to symbolise the plight of those children |
| One small step for Amman: could a viral video shake up Jordan's stifled capital? Posted: 11 May 2016 07:41 AM PDT An architect's video outlining ambitious proposals for Amman's biggest urban failure, the Jordan Gate Project, has gone viral. Has previous apathy towards the city's lack of community life now turned into a hunger for public space? Architect Hanna Salameh is blunt about how his city is different from many others. "We have no concept of sidewalks," he says. "We really see them as something you cross over to get to your car. I think that's why so many people throw trash on the sidewalks – we have no connection to our streets. You don't walk there and you don't see it as yours." Instead, the streets of the Jordanian capital are something else entirely: slow-moving strips of metallic colour, car roofs gleaming beneath fast food drive-thru signs and glass-fronted malls in interminable gridlock. If Amman was built for cars, it sometimes seems incapable of dealing with them. |
| Story of cities #40: how a village had to die so Hamburg's port could survive Posted: 10 May 2016 11:30 PM PDT In the 60s Hamburg officials planned to demolish a fishing village to make space for a new container terminal. As port cities struggle to keep up with an ever-changing industry, how will Hamburg face the challenges of the next generation? One morning in the late 80s, a pick-up truck full of sinister looking men came to a halt in front of Heinz Oestmann's house in Altenwerder, a historic fishing village on the outer edges of Hamburg's port. Oestmann, a fisherman and lifelong Altenwerder resident, could make out a pile of crowbars, wooden slats and gardening tools on the truck's loading area – "all manner of objects to break things with," he later recalled in his memoir. From their bedroom window, Oestmann and his wife watched as a bespectacled man from the city council got out of the truck to inspect the property. When the fisherman tried to confront the official, he got no response. Eventually, Oestmann took a swing. The man from the council landed on his backside, his glasses snapped in two. Continue reading... |
| The great leap upward: China's Pearl River Delta, then and now Posted: 10 May 2016 03:42 AM PDT The Pearl River Delta has witnessed the most rapid urban expansion in human history – a predominantly agricultural region transformed into the world's largest continuous city. By revisiting the sites of rare archive images of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Macau from the 1940s through 1990s, our photographers have documented this staggering change The region where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea has seen some of the most rapid urban expansion in human history over the past few decades – transforming what was mostly agricultural land in 1979 into what is the manufacturing heartland of a global economic superpower today. In 2008, China announced plans to mesh Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Zhaoqing, Foshan, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Zhongshan and Zhuhai into a single megacity. A series of massive infrastructure projects are under way to merge transport, energy, water and telecoms networks across the nine cities. Development has been relentless, and the World Bank recently named the Pearl River Delta as the biggest urban area in the world in terms of population and geographical size. Continue reading... |
| Story of cities #39: Shenzhen – from rural village to the world's largest megalopolis Posted: 09 May 2016 11:30 PM PDT When Leo Houng arrived in Shenzhen in 1974, it was an unremarkable Chinese settlement that 'smelled of countryside'. Since then, he has witnessed the city rise up at a bewildering rate – with little regard for the families caught in its path "It should be here somewhere," says Leo Houng, a retired cello player with the Hong Kong Philharmonic. We are in a tangle of small streets in central Shenzhen, just next to Lao Jie underground station. Lao Jie ("Old Street") has existed for decades, which is more than can be said for most of Shenzhen. When Houng stayed here in 1974 on his way to Hong Kong, Old Street was pretty much the only road around – with just a few lanes leading off it, dotted with simple restaurants and a handful of small shops. From there, unpaved alleys soon merged with the surrounding open countryside – an unimaginable landscape from today's suffocating vantage point. Continue reading... |
| Story of cities #38: Vancouver dumps its freeway plan for a more beautiful future Posted: 09 May 2016 04:27 AM PDT In the 1960s, Vancouver's historic downtown was at risk of being razed for modern road projects – only for an extraordinary protest movement to turn the tide, helping transform it into one of North America's most 'liveable' cities Half a century on, Shirley Chan can still picture the freeway that would have destroyed her old neighbourhood. "Three storeys high; eight or 10 lanes of traffic … you can imagine the dead zone along here," she says, indicating with a sweep of her arm the swathe it would have cut through Chinatown and across Vancouver's historic downtown east side. In the 1960s, Chinatown was a vibrant, messy place. The sidewalks spilled over with fishmongers and fruit sellers. There were mom-and-pop grocery stores, benevolent societies, dim sum places, gambling parlours – even the alleyways had restaurants. Continue reading... |
| Story of cities #37: how radical ideas turned Curitiba into Brazil's 'green capital' Posted: 05 May 2016 11:30 PM PDT As an architect and mayor, Jaime Lerner led the movement that transformed Curitiba into an environmentally friendly 'laboratory for urban planning'. The secret? 'We had to work fast to avoid our own bureaucracy' In the late 1960s, Brasília cast a long shadow across Brazil. Built from scratch in just four years, the city was a symbol of modern, rational, functional planning. "President Kubitschek wanted to build a new capital," architect Oscar Niemeyer said in a BBC interview. "He wanted a city that would represent Brazil. So I dedicated myself to finding a new solution, something that would attract attention." Niemeyer, along with the architect Lúcio Costa, designed the city to look like a bird in flight – a network of highways in the wings, and the administrative offices in its head. Among political elites, if not all architecture critics, Brasília was viewed as a triumph over Brazil's urban chaos. Continue reading... |
| No vacancies: life in Mozambique's abandoned Grande Hotel – in pictures Posted: 05 May 2016 02:33 AM PDT When it opened in 1955, the Grande Hotel in the Indian Ocean city of Beira was one of the most luxurious in Africa. Photojournalist Fellipe Abreu documents the lives of the 3,500 people who now fill this long-closed hotel to capacity Continue reading... |
| Story of cities #36: how Copenhagen rejected 1960s modernist 'utopia' Posted: 05 May 2016 01:20 AM PDT While concrete was being poured across Europe's cities, Denmark's capital found itself at a crossroads: would it follow the car-centric vision of grand boulevards and streets in the sky – or keep its citizen-focused design? "In the 60s and 70s, we thought that if you built huge blocks with apartments and efficient traffic systems, everyone would be happy … But quality of life is more than square metres, concrete, lifts, motorways and subways." From his house on the outskirts of Copenhagen, veteran planner Søren Elle is reliving his 42 years with the city's transport department. "The question was, should we rebuild Copenhagen into a modern American city, or should we keep Copenhagen as Copenhagen and just make small adjustments in a pragmatic, Danish way?" Continue reading... |
| Banning alcohol to protect girls? India is missing the mark | Pauline Oosterhoff Posted: 11 May 2016 11:00 PM PDT By debating prohibition ahead of state elections, Tamil Nadu is concealing the real issue: that gender and caste discrimination are endemic in India Every morning, many of the young women in a village in Dindigul district, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, head to work in the cotton mills, part of the textile industry in this state that provides vital jobs in poorer communities. The girls often work double shifts in unventilated factories, breathing in dust up to 16 hours a day. Often their meagre salary is paid directly to the head of their family or goes straight into dowry schemes that lure girls to bonded labour. Some girls, many of them underage, never see a rupee of it. Continue reading... |
| Finish line far out of sight in Nigeria's race to beat corruption | Oluseun Onigbinde Posted: 11 May 2016 01:55 AM PDT President Muhammadu Buhari needs to send the elite the message that withholding information is as corrupt as stealing money President Muhammadu Buhari's first foreign trip was a symbolic one. He crossed the border to Niger, where his counterpart, Mahamadou Issoufou, gave Buhari a horse. It seemed an appropriate present for a leader who, since taking the reins of government, has been riding roughshod over some entrenched self-interests in the Nigerian state. Since then, Buhari has kept an eagle eye on security contracts through the presidential committee, indicting more than 300 companies and recovering $35m (£24m) stashed away by the elite. He has started reviewing deals for any signs of money laundering, with bank chiefs already quizzed over opaque agreements fronted on behalf of politicians. Nigeria's ex-national security adviser, former defence chief, opposition party leaders and some bank chiefs have been investigated by the economic and financial crimes commission. They deny any wrongdoing. |
| Baby and toddlers among 149 dead at Nigerian military prison, says Amnesty Posted: 10 May 2016 11:01 PM PDT Amnesty estimates that 149 people have died this year at the Giwa barracks in Maiduguri, and cites evidence of overcrowding, lack of sanitation and executions At least 149 people, including a five-month-old baby and several toddlers, have died this year after being held in appalling conditions at a notorious Nigerian military detention centre, according to Amnesty International. A report from the group estimates that more than 1,200 people are detained without access to justice or the outside world at the Giwa barracks in Maiduguri, north-eastern Nigeria. Continue reading... |
| Homeless at home: most displaced people found in Syria, Yemen and Iraq Posted: 10 May 2016 04:01 PM PDT Report delves into the numbers overshadowed by the refugee crisis – the 28m people forced by violence or disaster to live elsewhere in their country last year Conflict, violence and natural disasters forced nearly 28 million people to leave their homes and move somewhere else within their countries last year, according to a report. The figures from the Norwegian Refugee Council's Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) show that, by 2015, the number of people internally displaced by conflict – 40.8 million – was double the total number of refugees. Continue reading... |
| Can innovation help fix the world's overwhelmed humanitarian system? | Clár Ní Chonghaile Posted: 10 May 2016 04:53 AM PDT Antipathy towards working with the military and the private sector may have to make way if the buzz surrounding innovation is to result in real change If necessity is the mother of invention, then the aid industry should be frothing with ideas and gearing up to showcase new products and processes when humanitarians gather to start work on redesigning the overwhelmed and outdated system this month. Innovation is a key theme for the world humanitarian summit in Istanbul and it dovetails with the rather dispiriting rationale for this first-of-its-kind meeting: that the aid system is failing and needs to be reformed if it is to cope with protracted, increasingly frequent, manmade and natural crises. Continue reading... |
| Don't just condemn humanitarian law violations. Stop them | Stephen Twigg Posted: 10 May 2016 01:40 AM PDT In the name of war, hospitals and camps for stranded people have been bombed. Leaders at the world humanitarian summit must hold those responsible to account The recent airstrike on a camp for Syrians displaced from their homes is the latest in a long line of tragedies resulting from the disregard that certain parties to conflict hold for international humanitarian law. The UN under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs, the UN high commissioner for human rights, the French foreign ministry, the White House and many others have all spoken out against this horrific attack, yet frustrations abound with the inability of the international community to stop them from happening. Continue reading... |
| Britain must stand up to defend humanitarian law, say MPs Posted: 09 May 2016 04:01 PM PDT Commons committee says UK needs to underline importance of international law, even amid criticism surrounding UK support for Saudi Arabia's role in Yemen The British government must use this month's landmark world humanitarian summit to stress the inviolability of international humanitarian law and push for new and more effective ways to help the millions of people afflicted by wars and disasters, a group of MPs has said. In two weeks' time, more than 5,000 politicians, business leaders, aid organisations and civil society groups will convene in Istanbul for the inaugural world humanitarian summit. Continue reading... |
| 'How can I get help if I can’t leave the room?': older people left out in a crisis Posted: 09 May 2016 04:01 PM PDT Researchers surveying people aged over 60 in Lebanon, South Sudan and Ukraine found that the majority weren't aware of available support The majority of older people caught up in conflict and disasters know little about the help available to them, a survey has found. Researchers at HelpAge International surveyed 300 people older than 60 in Lebanon, South Sudan and Ukraine – a small sample of people affected by the humanitarian crises occurring globally. They found that the majority had not been consulted about their needs and weren't aware of available support. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Boko Haram using loans to recruit members in face of crackdown Posted: 09 May 2016 06:33 AM PDT The group is forcing local traders to spy on their communities in what observers say is a sign that it is under pressure to find new members Boko Haram appears to be reverting to using cash loans to recruit members as it struggles to maintain its numbers in the face of the continuing crackdown by Nigerian government forces. Although the Islamist terrorist group has built its international reputation on large-scale atrocities such as attacks on schools and the mass kidnapping of girls, it has previously sought to use financial incentives when under pressure. Continue reading... |
| 'People are tired of 70 years of killings and violence': Colombia's peace process Posted: 09 May 2016 04:57 AM PDT Two activists in Colombia talk about their hopes and fears over bringing an end to the world's longest running civil war Father Alberto Franco has spent much of his life speaking out for the most vulnerable people in Colombia – men and women who have been kicked off their land and attacked by armed groups serving powerful elites. He has been threatened and persecuted, so perhaps it is natural that he is "moderately pessimistic" about hopes for an end to the world's longest civil war. "For us, the end of the armed conflict is not peace. Peace is building a more just society, a more inclusive society, respectful of human rights and the environment," says Franco, who is a leader with the Inter-Church Justice and Peace Commission. "While there are interests in the land, there will be social conflicts." Continue reading... |
| Latest Sanders and Trump victories change little in primary race Posted: 11 May 2016 08:00 AM PDT West Virginia victory adds 11 delegates for Clinton and 16 for Sanders, who would need 86% of those remaining to win Democratic nomination Tuesday's primaries in West Virginia and Nebraska were never going to be a huge event in the electoral calendar. The contests only had a total of 107 delegates available – 37 for the Democrats and 34 for the Republicans in West Virginia, and 36 in Nebraska's Republican primary. So, despite all the bravado of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders' victory statements, the candidates know that little has changed: Americans will probably still be faced with the choice of Trump or Hillary Clinton this November. Continue reading... |
| West Virginia and Nebraska primaries: five things we learned Posted: 10 May 2016 07:47 PM PDT Bernie Sanders did little to make a dent in Hillary Clinton's lead among pledged delegates but insisted 'we are in this campaign to win the nomination' • Sanders wins West Virginia primary as Trump rolls on toward convention The West Virginia and Nebraska primaries have come and gone. Here's what happened: Continue reading... |
| Enola Gay is a museum piece, unlike the nuclear arms Obama hoped to eradicate Posted: 10 May 2016 12:42 PM PDT The plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima has been assiduously kept; Barack Obama's commitment to 'a world without nuclear weapons' less so In a quiet hangar outside Washington, the Enola Gay still gleams as if the B-29 Superfortress that dropped the first atomic bomb in anger rolled off the production line yesterday. Despite his announcing a historic visit to the site that its payload devastated in Japan, Barack Obama's legacy as the president who would consign all such weapons to the museum looks rather more tarnished. Continue reading... |
| Afghan and Nigerian leaderships well aware of corruption problems Posted: 10 May 2016 12:02 PM PDT Ashraf Ghani and Muhammadu Buhari have been fighting to turn around the pervasive culture in their two countries It may have surprised David Cameron to find his comments to the Queen about Nigeria and Afghanistan making headlines, but the current Afghan and Nigerian leaderships are fully aware that their countries are riddled with corruption, and have been fighting to turn around the pervasive culture since their respective elections. No 10 is delighted that Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria's president, and Ashraf Ghani, the president of Afghanistan, are attending a summit in London specifically because they have acknowledged the fight against corruption is central to their respective countries' economic revival. Continue reading... |
| Quiet crisis: why battle to prop up Italy's banks is vital to EU stability Posted: 10 May 2016 11:09 AM PDT Forget Brexit or Grexit, €360bn of bad loans within a fragmented Italian banking sector could be the biggest threat of all Even a "small crisis" could trigger a chain of events that would threaten the stability of the European Union, the credit ratings agency Moody's has said. Brexit – if the UK votes to leave the 28-nation union – or even Grexit – the departure of Greece from the eurozone – are the obvious vulnerabilities. But some commentators believe an altogether quieter crisis should also be at the top of the worry list: Italy's battle to prop up its debt-laden banks. Continue reading... |
| Nascent peace deal at risk amid Philippines' political uncertainty Posted: 09 May 2016 04:32 AM PDT An accord with moderates to end a Muslim insurgency that has claimed 150,000 lives may not survive in looming power vacuum Political uncertainty in the Philippines – which is likely to continue through the summer months whoever wins Monday's controversial national elections – risks wrecking efforts to end one of the world's longest-running Muslim insurgencies that has claimed 150,000 lives, regional analysts warn. Benigno Aquino, the outgoing president, staked his reputation on a comprehensive peace accord signed in 2014 with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The deal envisaged an autonomous entity, known as the Bangsamoro, in the predominantly Muslim Mindanao region of the southern Philippines. Continue reading... |
| Seven days, three speeches: one week in the life of having a black president Posted: 09 May 2016 04:00 AM PDT After seven years, Barack Obama is in his last months in the White House. When he leaves, nothing will be the same. For black people, nothing will be resolved Like so many people I have unwisely loved, Barack Hussein Obama intrigues and infuriates and enrages and inspires and uplifts and disappoints me all at once. And whether it is politically or psychologically healthy to do so, I have loved President Obama, even as I have known that it's not healthy and as I have wanted to maintain a certain critical distance since becoming a journalist. But before I wrote for a living, I gave up a few months of my life in 2008 to move to Pennsylvania and campaign for the freshman senator. He inspired me with his words and stimulated my heart and mind – particularly as he wrote about race in a way that spoke deeply to me as fellow mixed-race black American. Over the years, he has repeatedly angered me when he came up short of everything I (naively) dreamed for him. I've been most sad that he did not stop the US assault on black and brown people from Gaza to Guantánamo, the Middle East to the midwest. Continue reading... |
| Police beat driver after a high-speed pursuit through two US states – video Posted: 11 May 2016 06:40 PM PDT Helicopter video of the end of a high-speed police pursuit from Massachusetts to New Hampshire shows a driver stepping slowly out of his truck, kneeling and putting his hands on the ground before several officers rush him and start pummeling him Continue reading... |
| Paul Ryan: Republican party cannot pretend to be unified – video Posted: 11 May 2016 09:07 AM PDT House speaker Paul Ryan said on Wednesday that the GOP cannot 'pretend to be unified', and must seek real solidarity going into the November election. Ryan spoke to reporters ahead of his Thursday meeting with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Ryan stunned the GOP last week when he said he wasn't ready to endorse him Continue reading... |
| Bernie Sanders: 'we are in this to win the nomination' – video Posted: 11 May 2016 07:24 AM PDT Bernie Sanders defeated Hillary Clinton on Tuesday night in West Virginia's primary, winning voters who are deeply skeptical about the economy and signaling the difficulty Clinton may have in industrial states in the general election. The loss slows Clinton's march to the nomination, but she is still heavily favored to become the Democratic candidate in the 8 November election Continue reading... |
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